Government Not Going Back On Social Media Regulation- Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said there is no going back on the social media regulation which the Government is embarking on.

According to him at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, Google and Facebook have been spoken with over it

“We are pushing ahead with our plan to sanitize social media, working with stakeholders. By March 2, 2020, we will inaugurate a stakeholders committee that will deliberate and recommend the way forward.

“Last week, I met with representatives of Google and Facebook for the same purpose. The situation is dire, and no nation that values its peace, security and stability will allow an irresponsible use of the social media,” Lai said.

He noted that there has been a spike in the dissemination of fake news and the use of disinformation in recent times. He added that fake news, disinformation and hate speech have become the weapons of choice to create tension in the polity and destabilise the country.

“And those behind them, the naysayers, are not about to relent. Those behind this campaign of fake news and disinformation have also deployed new tactics, top of which is the recycling old news items and videos.

“For some people, the 2019 elections are not over. They are stuck in the pre-election mode. And they must continue to use these weapons to put Nigeria on edge,” he added.

He described the report of plans by the government to float new ‘communication regulations’ aimed at recording all calls, monitoring WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook, as “fake.”